Apartment Zero

Martin Donovan, UK 1989, 124 minutes

Admittedly Apartment Zero treads the path of many before it in its attempts to `do' the psycho lodger story. It stands out however for, when set alongside the rest of its genre, it shines with an almost dazzling brilliance.

Adrian (Colin Firth) runs a unsuccessful rep cinema in Buenos Aires. In order to pay the bills and keep the cinema alive he takes in a lodger, Jack Carney (Hart Bochner). Constantly quizzing each other with questions of trivia and emotion we see the two men exploring each other's psyche, finding themselves equal and opposite, doppelgangers on opposite sides. Adrian watches as Jack socialises and seduces the tenants of the apartment block (something the paranoid and reclusive Adrian could never do). Adrian is both afraid of and attracted to Jack. Director Martin Donovan exploits this with his lingering close-ups and use of camera and angles to create intense feelings of claustrophobia and nervousness. Often Donovan seems to use the camera as an extension of Firth's personality ­ insecure, probing and questioning all around him.

The actors themselves are superb. Firth excels as the gawky, awkward Adrian and Bochner is captivating throughout. Bochner plays Carney as both a psychological and physical menace, altering his attack to suit his choice of victim and relevant circumstance. He is both attractive and repulsive, in looks and in personality, and Donovan shows remarkable experience in exploiting and highlighting this fact at every turn.

Altogether a truly wonderful and terrifying film.

Review by Andrew Hesketh
Taken from EUFS Programme 1997-98